Motherkind

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TRIGGER WARNING: This episode includes discussion of anorexia, postnatal depression and a traumatic birth experience.

What happens when you build a life that looks right on the outside, but leaves no room for who you really are?

Bestselling poet and mother of two Donna Ashworth joins Zoe for an honest, reassuring conversation about perfectionism, late-diagnosed autism and finding the courage to change your life.

Before becoming a bestselling writer, Donna ran a children’s soft play centre with her husband. She tried to be the perfect mother, wife, and friend while privately struggling. Writing became a way to express what she had been hiding, and eventually opened up a completely different future.

Donna shares how her son’s autism diagnosis prompted her family to rethink their lives, why her own diagnosis brought both grief and understanding, and what happened when she stopped trying to appear as though she had everything together.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why trying to be the perfect mother can leave you feeling disconnected from yourself.

• How to take a first step towards change without waiting to feel confident.

• How Donna’s late autism diagnosis helped her understand experiences she had spent years blaming herself for.

• Why her family shifted their focus from achievement to calm, safety and acceptance.

• How Donna approaches her inner critic and makes more space for self-compassion.

• Why asking for help can create the connection you’ve been missing.

Together, Donna and Zoe explore the pressure to get motherhood right, the exhaustion of masking, and why courage often arrives after you take the first step.

If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, questioning your next chapter or wondering where you’ve gone in the middle of everyone else’s needs, this conversation offers a reminder: you’re allowed to build a life that feels better for you, too.

A thought to take with you:

You don’t have to feel brave before you begin. Donna’s experience is that courage grows as you take each step, with fear alongside you and support from the people around you.

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with Anna Mathur: Accepting Uncomfortable Truths - how to live life more fully 

Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store

Key Topics: 

Motherhood identity • Perfectionism • Late-diagnosed autism • Neurodivergent motherhood • Parenting an autistic child • Masking • Self-acceptance • Mum guilt • Postnatal depression • Overthinking • Inner critic • Finding courage • Letting go of control • Asking for help • Career change after motherhood • Trusting your intuition • Redefining success • Creativity and writing • Finding yourself again • Donna Ashworth

Ready for a career that fits who you are now? Join my 30-day Career Pivot Challenge, starting 17th November 2026. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, explore what’s possible and turn your next move into a practical plan. Join the waitlist for first access and 30% off.

What if putting yourself first could change how you feel about everyone around you?

In this Motherkind Moment, Zoe is joined by Dr Mindy Pelz, a women’s health educator, chiropractor and New York Times bestselling author of Fast Like a Girl. Known for her work on women’s health, hormones and menopause, Mindy shares a deeply personal lesson about caring for herself.

After years of putting family and then work first, she finally began prioritising herself at 55. The biggest change? Letting go of resentment.

Together, they explore what our children learn from watching us constantly doing, rushing and putting our own needs last. Mindy offers a different way to think about self-care: as something we can model for our children, helping them see that their needs deserve space too.

• How Mindy connects putting herself first with feeling less resentful.

• Why our everyday habits can teach our children more than our words.

• A simple question to ask when prioritising yourself feels difficult.

A reminder that caring for yourself is something your children can learn from, too.

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode: 2026 health reset: Dr Mindy Pelz on burning fat, clearing brain fog, balancing moods and getting your energy back

Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store

Ready for a career that fits who you are now? Join my 30-day Career Pivot Challenge, starting 17th November 2026. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, explore what’s possible and turn your next move into a practical plan. Join the waitlist for first access and 30% off.

Trigger Warning: This episode includes a personal discussion of bereavement and the sudden death of a sibling.

How do you start believing in yourself? What if you have no idea what you want to do next? And what does returning to work look like when you’re grieving?

This week, I’m doing something a little different and answering your questions. It’s an honest, personal episode covering everything from why I stopped eating refined sugar to the small promises that have helped me build trust in myself.

I share five exercises to help you find clarity around your next career move, especially if you’re staring at a blank page wondering where to begin. We explore what gives you energy, what jealousy might be telling you and why your ideal working day matters just as much as a job title.

Finally, I answer the hardest question: how I’m navigating life and work following the sudden death of my younger brother. I share why returning to something I love has felt like a sanctuary, how I’m allowing the grief to come in waves, and what caring for myself looks like right now.

💡 In this episode, I share:

• Why I gave up refined sugar and my personal experience of the change.

• How keeping small promises to yourself can build confidence.

• Why courage comes before feeling ready.

• Five practical exercises to help you figure out your next career move.

• How someone else’s success can become evidence of what’s possible for you.

• My experience of grief, finding support and returning to work.

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy this episode: How to build true confidence (and then teach it to your children)

Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor: Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store

Ready for a career that fits who you are now? Join my 30-day Career Pivot Challenge, starting 17th November 2026. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, explore what’s possible and turn your next move into a practical plan. Join the waitlist for first access and 30% off.

When you’re caring for a newborn, who’s making sure you’re being cared for too?

In this Motherkind Moment, nutrition researcher and author Dr Federica Amati joins Zoe to explore why looking after ourselves can feel so difficult after birth, just when our bodies need support the most.

Drawing on her own experience of becoming a mother, Federica shares why knowing what to do isn’t always enough, and how practical help can make all the difference. From a freezer full of meals to setting boundaries with visitors, this is a reassuring reminder that your recovery matters too.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why your nutritional needs increase when you’re breastfeeding

• Preparing easy, nourishing food for those early weeks

• Why caring for mothers takes more than information alone

• Asking for the help you actually need and setting boundaries with visitors

• Reframing postpartum as a time for healing and recovery

Whether you’re preparing for a baby, in the thick of those early weeks or supporting someone who is, this conversation offers a kinder way to think about life after birth.

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with Federica Amati: Birth Is The Equivalent of 10 Marathons, And It's Why You're Still Tired (Even Years Later)

Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store

Key topics: Postpartum nutrition • Breastfeeding • Recovery after birth • Maternal wellbeing • Nourishing meals • Support for new mothers • Asking for help • Postpartum boundaries

Ready for a career that fits who you are now? Join my 30-day Career Pivot Challenge, starting 17th November 2026. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, explore what’s possible and turn your next move into a practical plan. Join the waitlist for first access and 30% off.

Do you find yourself apologising for leaving work on time? For missing the team drinks? For not always being available?

You don’t need to make up for being a mother. And yet, so many of us feel we have to hide our family commitments or work twice as hard to prove we’re still capable.

In this special compilation episode, Zoe brings together three powerful conversations with Vanessa Kingori, the first woman to lead British Vogue's publishing business; Emma Grede, co-founder of Good American; and Michelle Kennedy, founder of Peanut.

Each shares a different perspective on motherhood and ambition, from challenging workplace double standards to protecting family time and finding the confidence to say what you need.

If you’ve ever felt guilty for wanting a fulfilling career, or worried that setting a boundary might make you seem less committed, this episode is for you.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why Vanessa chose to make her pregnancy more visible after being advised to keep motherhood quiet

• The double standards mothers and fathers face at work

• How Emma protects her time and models boundaries for her team

• Letting go of the pressure to balance everything perfectly

• Why Michelle struggled to protect bedtime, even as a founder

• Recognising what your working environment is doing to your confidence

You’ll leave with one question to reflect on: what is one thing you’re going to do differently?

If this episode helps you feel more confident and less apologetic, please share it with a mother who needs to hear it.

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen or watch the full episodes on the guests here:

• Vanessa Kingori: The NEW Career & Motherhood Playbook From The Woman Who Ran British Vogue Whilst Pregnant or watch on YouTube

• Emma Grede: "Your kids don't need you to be their everything" or watch on YouTube

• Michelle Kennedy: How to Turn Your Hardest Motherhood Struggles Into a Career With Purpose

Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor: Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store

Key topics: Working mothers • Motherhood and ambition • Workplace boundaries • Working mum guilt • Women in leadership • Motherhood penalty • Career confidence • Self-worth • Work and family life

Ready for a career that fits who you are now? Join my 30-day Career Pivot Challenge, starting 17th November 2026. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, explore what’s possible and turn your next move into a practical plan. Join the waitlist for first access and 30% off.

Do you ever get to the end of the day and focus on everything you got wrong, rather than everything you’ve held together?

In this week’s Motherkind Moment, Zoe is joined by life coach Dior Bediako, founder of Pepper Your Talk, whose clients include Rochelle Humes and author Elizabeth Uviebinené. Dior shares a simple way to rethink how you speak to yourself: would you say those same words to your best friend?

Together, Zoe and Dior explore how to take responsibility without blaming yourself, and why the moments when you find it hardest to be kind to yourself are often when you need it most.

Whether you’ve shouted when you wanted to stay calm or feel torn between work and your children, this is a reminder that you can acknowledge what you’d like to do differently without tearing yourself down.

💡 In this moment, we explore:

• How to speak to yourself with the kindness you’d offer your best friend

• The difference between taking responsibility and blaming yourself

• Why being hard on yourself doesn’t help you move forward

• How to meet mum guilt and difficult parenting moments with self-compassion

• Being honest about what you want to improve without shaming yourself

You can do hard things and still be kind to yourself.

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode here: Why Confidence Drops in Motherhood and How to Rebuild It

Feeling like you’re carrying it all? Download your FREE Mental Load Cheat Sheet and learn how to start feeling lighter, even if nothing in your life changes.

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store

Key topics: Self-compassion • Mum guilt • Negative self-talk • Inner critic • Self-forgiveness • Emotional wellbeing • Taking responsibility without shame • Working mothers • Building a kinder relationship with yourself

Ready for a career that fits who you are now? Join my 30-day Career Pivot Challenge, starting 17th November 2026. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, explore what’s possible and turn your next move into a practical plan. Join the waitlist for first access and 30% off.

Everyone expects your baby to change. But who prepares you for how much you’ll change too?

If you’ve ever wondered “Where have I gone?” or felt that you should have figured motherhood out by now, this solo episode is for you.

Zoe shares ten things everyone needs to know about matrescence: the physical, emotional and psychological transformation of becoming a mother. She explores why your identity, relationships, priorities and ambitions can feel different, and why adjusting to motherhood can take far longer than we’re led to believe.

Through her jigsaw puzzle analogy, Zoe explains what it means to rebuild your life with children in the picture. She also reflects on the loneliness of feeling different inside while everyone around you still expects the old version of you.

Whether you’re a new mum or years into motherhood, this episode offers language for what you’re experiencing and a little more compassion for the woman you’re becoming.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What matrescence means and why understanding it can change how you see yourself

• How Zoe describes the brain and hormonal changes that accompany motherhood

• Why rebuilding your identity takes time

• How you can adore your children and still miss parts of your old life

• Why motherhood can feel lonely, even when you’re rarely alone

• How self-compassion, community and space to change can support you

• Why asking “Who am I becoming?” can help you move forward

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with 

Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor: Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store

Key topics: Matrescence • Identity after motherhood • Emotional changes in motherhood • Maternal wellbeing • Motherhood expectations • Loneliness in motherhood • Self-compassion • Changing priorities • Personal growth

Ready for a career that fits who you are now? Join my 30-day Career Pivot Challenge, starting 17th November 2026. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, explore what’s possible and turn your next move into a practical plan. Join the waitlist for first access and 30% off.

Does it ever feel like you’re the one who has to remember everything?

The school dates, the appointments, the birthday presents, the never-ending list running through your head—even when you’re supposed to be resting.

In this Motherkind Moment, Zoe and Jada explore the invisible mental load of motherhood, why we so often become the default parent, and how to start sharing responsibility without having to oversee everything ourselves.

They also discuss the skills motherhood gives us—from clearer communication to prioritisation—and why becoming a mother can make us better leaders.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by everything you’re holding, this conversation offers a starting point for change.

💡 In this Moment, you’ll learn:

• Why the mental load can feel relentless, even when nobody else can see it.

• How to begin handing over responsibility and letting go of overseeing every task.

• Why small changes to family routines can help you work more as a team.

• How the skills you develop as a mother translate into the workplace.

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode here: The "Old You" is Gone, Here's How to Embrace Who You're Becoming

Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor: Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store

Key topics: Mental load of motherhood • Sharing the mental load • Default parent • Invisible work of motherhood • Sharing parenting responsibilities • Communication with your partner • Decision fatigue • Motherhood and leadership skills • Balancing motherhood and work

Ready for a career that fits who you are now? Join my 30-day Career Pivot Challenge, starting 17th November 2026. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, explore what’s possible and turn your next move into a practical plan. Join the waitlist for first access and 30% off.

Do you say yes when you mean no, then feel guilty for wishing you’d put yourself first?

In this heartfelt conversation, author Vex King joins Zoe to explore people-pleasing, self-worth and why caring for everyone else can leave us disconnected from ourselves.

Vex shares the extraordinary story of his mum, who raised three children alone after losing his dad, navigating poverty, homelessness and racism. He reflects on what her love and resilience taught him, and why, as a child, his greatest wish was simply for her to be happy.

Drawing on his new book, You Can’t Please Everyone, Vex explains the difference between making sacrifices for the people we love and losing ourselves in the process. He and Zoe explore how to recognise people-pleasing, reconnect with what matters to you and start setting boundaries, even when your voice shakes.

If you’re exhausted from trying to keep everyone happy, this conversation is a reminder that your needs, dreams and happiness deserve space too.

💡 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to recognise when caring for others becomes self-abandonment

• Why resentment can be a sign you’ve said yes when you wanted to say no

• A simple exercise to help you identify your values and trust your decisions

• How to start setting boundaries without feeling overwhelmed

• What we model to our children when we make room for our own needs

• Why you can be a kind person and still say no

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you might also enjoy Zoe’s conversation with Nedra Glover Tawwab: Why Mothers Feel So Resentful (And The Boundaries That Change Everything) 

Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor: Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store

TRIGGER WARNING: This episode includes discussion of miscarriage and fertility difficulties.

Ready for a career that fits who you are now? Join my 30-day Career Pivot Challenge, starting 17th November 2026. Together, we’ll uncover your strengths, explore what’s possible and turn your next move into a practical plan. Join the waitlist for first access and 30% off.

Why does so much of the pressure around fertility fall on women?

In this Moment, Dr Helen O’Neill joins Zoe to explore the often-overlooked role of sperm health and why trying for a baby needs to be a shared responsibility.

Zoe opens up about her own experience of miscarriage and the anxiety she felt during her next pregnancy. Together, they discuss how keeping early pregnancy private can leave women without support when they need it most, and why being told to “just relax” can feel so painful.

It’s an honest conversation about the emotional weight of trying to conceive, feeling supported and why women shouldn’t have to carry it all alone.

💡 In this Moment, you’ll learn:

• Why sperm health deserves more attention in fertility conversations

• The loneliness of pregnancy loss and the pressure to keep it private

• The emotional toll of trying for a baby after miscarriage

• Why reassurance and support matter more than being told to “just relax”

Watch every full episode on YouTube and subscribe. 

Loved this episode?

Follow or subscribe so you never miss an episode of Motherkind. It helps more mothers find the show and keeps our community growing.

If you enjoyed this episode, you can listen to the full episode here: Dr Helen O’Neill: We Know Less About Miscarriage Than We Do About Mars

Feeling different since becoming a mother? Get clarity on who you’re becoming now and download your FREE Matrescence Cheat Sheet

Connect with Zoe:

• Follow Zoe on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok

• Get Zoe’s Sunday Times bestselling book, 'Motherkind: A New Way to Thrive in a World of Endless Expectations’

This Motherkind episode is sponsored by:

• Headline sponsor: Wild Nutrition, the brand raising the bar for women’s supplements. Want to feel the Food-Grown difference yourself? Get 50% off for three months at wildnutrition.com/motherkind. Ts and Cs apply.

• Grape Tree Feel Good Foods. Buy online at Grapetree.co.uk or find your local store